


Still Free

by megsblackfire



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Child Death, M/M, Revenants, Scorpion is a bi-diaster, Violence, he did not see that coming, there is one terrible pun and I'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:27:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27733780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsblackfire/pseuds/megsblackfire
Summary: Specters have more free will than revenants do, but Scorpion is still bound to do as Quan Chi orders. Working with Sub-Zero is the last thing he wants to do, but the revenant is Quan Chi's servant too; resistance is not an option.One unfortunate victim of their master's orders reveals that Sub-Zero is not quite as enslaved as Scorpion thought. The revelation is dangerous; if Quan Chi figures out that Sub-Zero can still show compassion, he would be crushed beneath the will of their master. Scorpion might not like the other undead minion, but that didn't mean he wanted to see him suffer as he did.
Relationships: Hanzo Hasashi | Scorpion/Sub-Zero
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	Still Free

Scorpion stared down Sub-Zero until the newly risen revenant bowed his head and backed away. It was important to establish his place in the hierarchy of Quan Chi’s servants before they got any ideas of attacking him. He could already see the way that Liu Kang and Kung Lao were looking at him and knew that they were going to be trouble.

“Scorpion,” Quan Chi’s voice dug into the creases of his brain and tugged him to where the sorcerer was waiting.

Scorpion knelt at Quan Chi’s feet, patiently waiting for his orders. He could sense the other revenants drawing back, eyeing him mistrustfully as Quan Chi’s hand rested on his head. He was Quan Chi’s favourite and they resented him for it. When they had served as long as he had, then they could feel like they could fight him for the small favour he had. In the meantime, they would keep their distance or he would remove their heads from their bodies.

“Our time to invade Earthrealm is quickly approaching,” Quan Chi said. “You know the land that we are using as our landing. Take Sub-Zero and make sure that the Earthrealmers are dealt with.”

“It will be done,” Scorpion said before he rose. 

He looked at Sub-Zero and he watched the man’s yellow eyes narrow. He stepped closer, the flesh of his arms already turning blue as his ice powers activated. Mistrust burned in Scorpion’s gut at the sight, but he kept his anger in check. Sub-Zero was Quan Chi’s servant, just as he was. They were not enemies, even if he wanted nothing more than to drive his kunai through the man’s eye.

He led the way out of Quan Chi’s study, watching the others glare as he passed. He heard Sub-Zero’s light steps behind him. It sent cold tremors up his spine, but he forced himself to focus on teleporting himself and Sub-Zero to Earthrealm without accidentally tearing the other revenant apart.

He reached out and grabbed Sub-Zero’s wrist. He saw the flicker of fear in the man’s eyes before he was dragged with Scorpion back to Earthrealm. He wrenched his arm free of Scorpion’s grip once they had arrived, clutching his wrist as if he had been burned. Scorpion could see the welts growing under the other revenant’s fingers.

“Weakling,” Scorpion growled.

“You are just as pathetic where the cold is concerned,” Sub-Zero snapped.

The growl in his voice was much more pronounced now that he was undead. It sent a shiver down Scorpion’s spine, but he didn’t dare give a word to that sensation. Instead, he turned away from his companion, heading into the city to see that the portals were ready for the invasion. 

He stepped onto the street and looked around. No one gave him a second look, too focused on their own little lives to know that their death had just stepped up beside him. He glanced over his shoulder and watched as Sub-Zero pulled a hood up over his head to hide his yellow eyes. It was a clever thing to do so that he would not be noticed; he looked more unnatural than Scorpion did in his uniform.

He pushed through the crowd, ignoring the curses thrown at his back. Sub-Zero kept pace, the cold wafting off of him making everyone sidestep them in surprise. He stepped up to what would be the city center and glanced around. Pedestrians were pushing past him and Sub-Zero, ignoring the two weirdos standing in the middle of the crosswalk.

“Here?” Sub-Zero asked.

“Here,” Scorpion agreed.

Sub-Zero flexed his fingers as he glanced around. There was a moment where Scorpion thought the young revenant might defy their orders and he would get the chance to kill him, but then he let out an exhale of frosty breath. Ice crackled along his fingertips before he drew his arm back.

With a grunt, Sub-Zero slammed his fist into the ground, shooting ice spikes out in a circle around him. They impaled passersby, lifting them six feet in the air while tearing through those that hadn’t been close enough to be pierced. Scorpion’s swords flashed as he spun and sliced through another civilian, dropping the man headless to the ground. He threw his spear, roaring as it went through the windshield of a car and impaled the driver through the eye.

“Get over here!”

He wrenched the driver out of the vehicle, sending it careening into the fleeing pedestrians while the other occupants screamed as the vehicle started rolling. Scorpion twisted and grabbed a man by the throat, smirking to himself as he saw the fear in the man’s eyes. He engulfed them in fire, trembling with pleasure as they screamed in pain and flailed as they were roasted alive.

An ice dagger went flying past his nose and he flinched backwards. He heard gurgling close by and glared at Sub-Zero, not caring that the dagger had not been aimed for him.

“That was too close,” he snapped.

“As was your attacker,” Sub-Zero said as he watched the chaos unfurl around them. “Shall we pursue them?”

“No,” Scorpion said as he tossed the charred corpse to the side. “Lord Shinnok’s minions will do the rest.”

He set the tip of his sword against the ground and dragged it behind him. A fiery portal opened up, revealing a path straight into the bowels of the Netherrealm. A moment passed as he extended the portal a little bit more and then the winged minions of Shinnok came flying out of the portal. It was like watching an entire colony of bats erupt out of a cave, complete with high-pitched screams as the demons twisted and twirled overhead.

Sub-Zero watched the portal close behind the last demon, tilting his head to the side. “That was easy,” he said. “I don’t trust it.”

“Easy only because Earthrealm is not ready for an invasion of this magnitude,” Scorpion said. “Quan Chi has prepared for this moment for centuries; these humans will have moments to react.”

Sub-Zero let out a soft huff before he stilled. Scorpion looked at him in confusion, wondering what could have caused the other revenant to freeze like that. Sub-Zero’s glowing yellow eyes were wide and his mouth was open in the memory of panting. He followed the line of sight that his companion had and flinched. Ah, yes, that would do it.

One of Sub-Zero’s ice spikes had killed a child, skewering the poor thing straight through the throat. Their little feet were dangling, blood dripping off the ends of their fingers. It had not been a quick death. Judging by the blood bubbling past their purple lips, they had struggled in their last moments, wounding themselves further and increasing their pain.

“I… I killed her,” Sub-Zero whispered as he stepped forward. “So young….”

“She would have died to the demons if you hadn’t gotten her,” Scorpion said.

“It would have been quicker,” he whispered.

“It would have been bloody,” Scorpion corrected him. “And her entrails would be a meal for the demons.”

Sub-Zero reached up and carefully removed the girl from the ice spike. He cradled the tiny figure to his chest, tears burning ugly paths against his gray flesh. Scorpion stared, unable to move, as Sub-Zero rocked the corpse as if he could bring her back to life.

“You should not cry,” Scorpion whispered as he stepped forward.

“She is a child,” Sub-Zero snarled.

“No, not because of her,” Scorpion grabbed Sub-Zero’s face and forced him to look him in the eye. “If you show emotion, Quan Chi will rip them from you. You are a revenant, an undead servant; you do not grieve for the loss of the innocent.”

Sub-Zero stared at him as tears continued to fall down his face. “Why am I flawed?” he whispered. “None of the others are like this.”

“I don’t know,” Scorpion said as he took the corpse from Sub-Zero and set the girl down beneath the ice spike that had killed her. He folded her tiny hands over her chest, ripped off a piece of her shirt, and tied it over her eyes. “But if you want to continue to have what little free will you have, you will not let our master know you can still cry.”

He heard Sub-Zero sniffle before hacking spit onto the ground. He gave the other revenant a moment to collect himself before he turned around. Sub-Zero had the heel of his palm against his right eye, working the last of the liquid out of his eyes. His yellow eyes watched Scorpion for a moment before he gave a shaky smile.

“Do you shed tears, Scorpion?” he asked.

Scorpion narrowed his eyes, hearing the mocking tone in the other revenant’s voice. “Only when I know I am alone,” he growled. “It is how I still retain my mind.”

“And yet we are still puppets,” Sub-Zero shook his head. He sucked air in noisily through his nose even though he didn’t have to anymore. “We should head for the rendezvous point. I’m sure Quan Chi will have a new task for us.”

“Agreed,” Scorpion growled before he turned around.

He glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Sub-Zero was following. He wasn’t surprised that Sub‑Zero had knelt down to brush the girl’s hair out of her face. He would have to control his emotions or he would be reduced to nothing soon enough. Quan Chi did not like servants that thought too much for themselves.

* * *

“He will destroy us if we go back.”

“Calm yourself, Sub-Zero,” Scorpion growled as he tended to the wounds that the insufferable Johnny Cage had given him.

Sub-Zero snarled as he continued pacing. He was leaving a dark trail of blood behind him, not even bothering to set his nose after Cage had broken it. Twice. How that had happened was beyond him, but Sub-Zero said he heard it break twice. He supposed that stranger things had happened since he had died and been raised as a revenant.

“Letting your emotions get the better of you will not help you,” he continued. “Quan Chi will not destroy us. We were a stalling tactic, nothing else. We did our job.”

“He told us to stop them at all costs,” Sub-Zero said. “Instead, we got flattened by the action star.”

“Johnny Cage plays the fool well, but he is still a formidable fighter,” Scorpion said. “Anyone that forgets that deserves to be flattened.”

Sub-Zero turned and glared at him. Scorpion knew there was an insult dancing on the other man’s tongue, but it was unlikely that Sub-Zero would say whatever he was thinking. He had never been able to fully control his emotions, even when it was necessary while Quan Chi was around, but his powers made it clear that reducing him to a drooling puppet would make him useless. It was something that Scorpion quietly was thankful for.

He didn’t like Sub-Zero; he didn’t like any of the revenants for that matter; but that didn’t mean that he wanted to see the man reduced to a mindless husk. He didn’t want others to suffer as he did before Quan Chi unleashed him at the Mortal Kombat tournament. It was a fate worse than death and if he could keep someone like Sub-Zero from feeling that agony, he would.

“Why would Quan Chi send us to stall?” he demanded. “Why not Stryker and Kabal? They were law enforcement.”

“Quan Chi wanted them present when he bested Raiden,” Scorpion shrugged. “Are you implying that Stryker and Kabal are lesser than us?”

“Yes,” Sub-Zero growled. “Stryker can only rely on his guns and Kabal’s greatest weakness is his reliance on that mask of his even though he is already dead. If Quan Chi wanted to stall, why not send them instead? Why send two powerful warriors and risk them being… disposed of?”

“I do not claim to know how Quan Chi’s mind works,” Scorpion said as he set the last of his fingers back where they were supposed to be. “I do as I’m told.”

“Evidently not,” Sub-Zero snarled. “You were told to spare my brother and you ripped his spine out!”

Scorpion got to his feet and caught Sub-Zero before he could attack him. “Do not provoke me, child,” he warned.

“If it wasn’t for you, Bi-Han would still be alive!” Sub-Zero shouted.

Scorpion felt his head get knocked to the side and stumbled, releasing his hold on Sub-Zero’s shirt. He didn’t know that Sub-Zero could hit that hard; that wasn’t even a trained hit, that was a full-on, testosterone-fueled boxer’s punch. Scorpion’s ears were still ringing as he regained his footing, lifting his arms to stop Sub-Zero’s next swing.

“You killed him in cold blood!”

“Bi-Han slaughtered my clan,” Scorpion snarled as he threw a punch of his own. “He killed my wife and child!”

“He did no such thing!” Sub-Zero shouted as he ducked the punch and landed three furious blows to Scorpion’s torso. “Bi-Han was innocent! He would never murder a child!”

“I saw him! I know what he did! He deserved what he got, Kuai Liang,” Scorpion sneered as he managed to land a bone-crushing blow to Sub-Zero’s sternum.

Sub-Zero stumbled back, coughing up blood as the broken bone shards pierced his lungs and heart. He wouldn’t die from the attack, but he would be in a lot of pain in the meantime. Scorpion stepped forward and drove his fist into Sub-Zero’s face, ripping his mask off on the back-swing. He knocked Sub‑Zero to the ground and grabbed him by the front of his uniform, hoisting him just high enough that a shake caused his head to crack against the pavement.

“He killed my wife and my child,” he snarled, feeling his fire burning its way out of him. “He took the most precious things in the world from me. I swore I would not rest until I had his head mounted on the walls of the Fire Gardens.”

“Bi-Han didn’t do anything,” Sub-Zero coughed as blood trickled past his lip. “I know he didn’t. You’re wrong.”

“It’s admirable for you to defend your brother, Kuai Liang,” Scorpion growled. “But your words ring hollow.”

“You got your revenge,” Sub-Zero’s eyes filled with tears as he reached up to grab the side of Scorpion’s head. “And I’ll have mine!”

Scorpion let out a startled gargle of surprise as an ice dagger was slammed up into his head. He felt the edges tearing through the flesh of his jaw and bounce off the bottom of his cranium, protecting his brain from the chilled blade. His fingers kneaded uselessly against Sub-Zero’s shoulders before he was able to pull away.

He reached up and gripped the bottom of the dagger, feeling the burn of the frozen hilt against his palm. He tugged on the dagger, gargling more as he felt the edges catch on the damaged bone inside of his skull. Blood splattered against the ground as he stumbled in a circle, eyes rolling as he worked the dagger out of his throat. He tore it free with a sickening squelch and stared at the bloody chunk of ice in his hand.

He tried to tell Sub-Zero that it had been a good stab, but he could only burble around the blood gushing past his lips. He collapsed face down on the ground and reality faded away around him.

When he returned to consciousness, his head was resting against Sub-Zero’s thigh. He looked up at the other revenant, waiting to see what he said. Tears had left ugly marks down his face and his mask had not been replaced.

“Feel better?” Scorpion asked.

“No,” Sub-Zero swallowed. “Killing you, hurting you, it won’t bring Bi-Han back.”

“But it soothes the pain,” Scorpion grunted as he sat up with some difficulty. He touched the place where the ice dagger had been embedded in his head and grimaced. “That was a very good attack. Very practiced.”

Sub-Zero didn’t say anything as he reached up to rub at his eyes. “Nothing soothes the pain,” he said after a few long moments of silence. “I don’t want to continue having to kill you just to feel a little bit better. You aren’t my enemy.”

“Aren’t we?” Scorpion snorted.

“No,” Sub-Zero looked at him. “I don’t want to be your enemy, Scorpion.”

“And what if I wish to be yours?” Scorpion cocked his head to the side. “You wear the colours of the one who murdered my people.”

“Bi-Han was a powerful warrior, but even he could not eliminate an entire clan,” Sub-Zero shook his head. “I do not know who was responsible, but I can promise you this, Scorpion,” he stared into Scorpion’s eyes without flinching and something jerked in Scorpion’s chest, “I will help you find the ones responsible for murdering your wife and son and I will help you avenge them.”

“Why?” Scorpion demanded as he stepped away from the other revenant. “You have no reason to trust me, Sub-Zero. You have no reason to help me.”

Sub-Zero looked away before he got to his feet. “Because… I have grown to care about you,” he said. “Your anger is consuming you. Your rage is what Quan Chi uses to control you. I cannot stand it.”

Scorpion looked at the young revenant for a long time before he stepped forward. “You cannot save me,” he said. “I am indebted to Quan Chi.”

“If there is a way to save you, I will find it, Scorpion,” Sub-Zero promised as he stepped up to Scorpion. His hand came up and cupped the side of his face. “No matter how long it takes, I will find it.”

Scorpion stiffened as Sub-Zero kissed his mask. His brain stalled out, not understanding what was happening, and Sub-Zero moved past him. He turned, staring at Sub-Zero’s back as he moved to the entrance of their little hidey-hole. Sub-Zero looked outside and frowned, glancing around without seeming to realize that he had just caused Scorpion’s brain to cartwheel out of his body.

He was moving before he realized it, his hands grabbing the back of Sub-Zero’s shirt. He pulled a startled grunt from the other revenant as he twisted them around. He pressed Sub-Zero up against the wall and pulled his mask down enough to ravage the man’s mouth. He saw Sub-Zero’s eyes widen in surprise before they closed and he started returning the kisses.

“Mmm,” Sub-Zero sighed as they pulled apart. “I take it we aren’t leaving yet?”

“Not until we’re done,” Scorpion growled as he started undoing Sub-Zero’s belt.

“I’m not complaining,” Sub-Zero groaned.

Scorpion shivered at the confession. Someone wanted him this way and wasn’t going to complain about him manhandling them? That didn’t seem real.

“Are… you sure?” he asked.

“You just kissed me like that and you aren’t sure?” Sub-Zero laughed before he jerked Scorpion’s head up to kiss him. “Mmm, fuck me, Scorpion. Make me melt.”

Scorpion stared at the man before he scrambled to get their clothing off of both of them. “As you command.”


End file.
